Basketball
Katie At The Bat Basketball is an all girls program that goes well beyond shooting the ball in the hoop. The program meets two afternoons per week at the Sheppard Recreation Center in West Philadelphia and a third afternoon at the Beth El Academy in Ardmore for tutoring.
All fundamentals of basketball are taught, practiced and played. Healthy snacks are provided as nutrition and fitness are important elements of the curriculum. Character development is central to the program. Each basketball session begins with an interactive activity based on a specific positive value – examples include kindness, patience and teamwork. All sessions conclude with basketball – drills, teamwork, and play. Katie At The Bat basketball sessions provide a critical balance of learning, discipline and fun.
Tutoring
Once a week the group boards The Katie At The Bat Team van to head to the tutoring center. Here our “scholar athletes” receive academic assistance in small group and individualized sessions. Katie At The Bat volunteers enjoy building a relationship with the girls throughout the school year. All have been thrilled with the improvement in school performance and the ever-growing self-esteem of our Katie “scholar athletes”.
The Katie At The Bat Team provides basketball/academic camp for the basketball girls during the summer as well as a special highlight week of Camp Katie (see Summer Programs).
Tennis
The Katie At The Bat Team is extremely proud of our tennis model. The program alternates sessions on the college campus staffed by varsity players and coaches, with sessions in the classroom that reinforce the love of the game and combine academic enrichment with a values-based tennis curriculum. The combination of on court play and skill development with lessons of tennis etiquette and sportsmanship in an academic format has been incredibly successful. Children in one of the lowest performing schools in the Philadelphia district have shown improved grades and reading levels, while demonstrating relentless enthusiasm for a sport to which they previously had no access.
The University of Pennsylvania Women’s Varsity Tennis Team has been an invaluable partner in The Katie At The Bat Tennis Program. Coaches and players from all over the world give hands-on small group instruction and serve as role models to the Katie students who are bused to the college campus. Tennis sessions include one hour on the court and one hour off the court where all engage in specially designed activities and enjoy a nutritious lunch. Once again the volunteers benefit as much as their young counterparts.
In between tennis sessions, Katie staff visit the classroom where students learn more about the game’s culture and code of conduct. A unit on role models is a highlight of the curriculum, and introduces many students to icons like Arthur Ashe for the very first time.
Each year, before tennis summer camp, the experience culminates in a class/family field trip to an Ivy League varsity tennis match in which the students cheer for their University of Pennsylvania volunteer teachers/coaches.
Girls High School Athletics
Basketball
The Katie At The Bat Team is proud to support the girls’ basketball program at the Freire Charter School in Philadelphia. Providing opportunities for girls to compete in organized athletics is an important part of The Katie At The Bat Team mission. The relationship with Freire Charter School Girls basketball goes well beyond providing uniforms and team travel. High school players serve as role models and mentors to their younger lower and middle-school Katie At The Bat counterparts. This is once again a “Katie” strategy to create a relationship in which all parties benefit. The high school students respond to the admiration from the younger girls and the younger girls thrive on the positive attention from the older basketball players.